We arrived at home from Phoenix on
June 29 and it's been quite a while since the last update. While we
were in Phoenix for the 4+ months, Lee's mom watched our three cats and Lee's
sister watched our two cockatiels. Our kind neighbor started the cars,
watered the plants (better than we would have), and even mowed the lawn.
Life sure has changed. Christopher,
Alyssa, Emily, and Nicholas will be two months old tomorrow. They all
sleep in the same room where we have four cribs with a changing table in
the center. They are still on four hour feeds (9am-1pm-5pm-9pm-1am-5am)
around the clock. We mix 64oz at a time of Similac Neosure augmented
with some rice cereal. We have been adding rice cereal from the time
they were in the hospital in an attempt to reduce reflux. They still
spit up quite a bit. We are currently trying to stretch them to six
hours over night (9am-1pm-5pm-9pm-3am) in order to give us a bit more sleep.
We record all intake and output so that we can keep track of each baby.
Otherwise, all the information would blend together.
Christopher
Alyssa
Emily
Nicholas
1:20am
115cc iron
95cc iron
#1
100cc iron
iron
2:00am
#1
#1
5:00am
100cc
#1
60cc
5:30am
60cc
#1
80cc
#1
9:00am
135cc
#1
105cc (spit up)
#1
75cc
#1
120cc (spit up)
#1
1:00pm
95cc
#1
115cc
#2
100cc
#1
120cc
5:00pm
105cc
#1
trimmed nails
100cc
#1
trimmed nails
90cc (spit up)
#1
90cc (spit up)
#1
8:15pm
#1
#1
mushy #2
8:30pm
Reglan
9:00pm
140cc
mushy #2
105cc
#1
100cc
#1
120c
#1
Some people hire nannies or nurses
for day and/or night help. We are on our own over night with no help.
There have been days when we were also on our own. It's tough feeding
babies at 1am and 5am and especially frustrating when they sometimes vomit
as much formula as they ate. We requested some help from a nearby nursing
school and from Lee's college but there was no response. Very disappointing.
We also requested some help from church. Recently, church volunteers
have kicked in to help with the daytime feedings. Two ladies from one
of the church committees coordinate the schedule. It is a big help.
Church Volunteers
9:00am
Florence, Jane
1:00pm
Mary, Denise
5:00pm
Jane, Kitty
9:00pm
Jane, Marita
A big help are family and volunteers
who provide us with meals. We freeze what we can. The Runabout quad
stroller still isn't assembled but we really haven't needed it. We haven't
had all four babies out together in
public, yet. We bought a Carter's twin stroller at Babies R Us for
doctor's visits. The doctor only wants to see two at a time since at
this age the babies are pretty high maintenance. Each baby has seen
the pediatrician since we arrived home from Phoenix.
On July 14, Pam's sickness disability
ran out and she started child care leave of absence. That will last
for a year. Pam is still recovering from the c-section. Lee is
still packing and unpacking her wound since it is still discharging.
We've noticed a nylon suture (looks like fishing line) sticking out of Pam's
belly above the incision. She will visit her OB/GYN in two weeks to
have a check up.
Christopher the couch potato,
Alyssa the socialite, Emily the thinker, and Nicholas the funny boy.
Two months, fifteen days old
We just got home from a hospital
visit where Christopher and Emily had hip ultrasounds and Christopher had
his renal ultrasound follow up. Alyssa and Nicholas go next week for
their hip ultrasounds. The pediatrician suggested hip ultrasounds because
breech babies tend to have hip problems. We're not sure which two babies
were breech so everybody is getting the hip ultrasound. It seems like
we are at the doctor's office at least once a week. Nobody has been
sick (yet).
The babies used to eat at: 9am-1pm-5pm-9pm-1am-5am
but we switched them to a single feed over night so we can get some sleep.
Now they eat at 9am-1pm-5pm-9pm-3am. They are still on Similac Neosure
and we can't wait until they sleep through the night. They are getting
big. Christopher (the big guy) is over 10 pounds, now.
Three months, five days old
Everybody here is doing okay.
Believe it, or not, Pam is still recovering from the c-section. We are
no longer packing the wound but it still discharges a bit of blood.
Hopefully, one of these days she will fully heal. The babies haven't
been to the pediatrician for a few weeks, but we estimate that Christopher
(The Big Guy) is about 11 pounds, or so. The others range from 8 to
10 pounds. We have an appointment in the first week in September where
we will get an update on weights. The babies are holding their heads
up pretty well and they are at the point where they smile a lot. Boy,
do they look dopey when they smile ;-) Princess Emily has a very demanding
cry. Alyssa is pretty mild mannered but when she cries, she looks like
she is peddling a bicycle. We wonder where she thinks she is going.
She has lost all of the hair on top of her head so she looks like a little
old man. Nicholas has transformed from a scrawny scarecrow to a plump
Gerber baby.
It didn't take us long at all to get
into a routine but we know that just when you get into a comfort zone, things
change. Initially we had the babies feeding at: 9am-1pm-5pm-9pm-1am-5am
but it wasn't long before we pushed the changed feeds and ended up with: 9am-1pm-5pm-9pm-3am.
Now, it is typical for them to feed at: 9am-1pm-5pm-9pm-5am which gives us
a decent block of sleep. For the feeds between 9am and 9pm Monday-Friday
we still have a crew of church volunteers that show up. Between 0 and
4 volunteers show up just before each feeding and they leave shortly after.
This routine has worked out very well. When we don't have enough volunteer
help for the day, Lee works from home and helps out with the feeds.
Typically, Lee is physically at work between 3 and 5 days a week.
Believe it or not, now Lee might get
more sleep than he used to before we had the babies; In order to do that,
he has had to drop his hobby of building and tinkering with computers.
And, believe it or not, the house is probably cleaner than it used to be
since Lee's mom comes on weekends to help with the babies and to clean.
Three months, sixteen days old
Everybody here is on a strict schedule.
It's like being in the military. The babies still feed at the following
times: 9am-1pm-5pm-9pm-5am. We record all formula intake and all diaper
changes. At night they have been sleeping for about 7 hours for a few
weeks now. We actually have to wake them for the 5am feeding.
Once they get on solid (rice cereal) food we expect them to be able to skip
that 5am feeding. Church volunteers still show up for the daytime feeds.
That is a big help. Lee typically goes to work five days a week.
We have four Graco baby swings (all gifts). Two of the swings have
6 speeds and play music. They are excellent. They keep cranky
babies quiet. The swings are a big help when we are short handed during
feeding time.
Christopher, Alyssa, Emily,
and Nicholas in their home made outfits.
Five months, four days old
Church volunteers still come during
the daytime feedings. We are still on a four hour feeding schedule.
Once we change it it will have a ripple effect with the volunteers so we are
trying to maintain it as long as we can.
The babies are most restless after
the 5pm feeding -- when we put them to bed for a nap they are cranky for a
while. Whenever it gets dark, all they want to do is sleep. After
the 9pm feeding the babies sleep until 5am when we usually have to wake them.
Nicholas, is the worst sleeper but he usually makes it to 5am. Sometimes
overnight he will wake up and gretz for a short time before falling back
to sleep.
Each baby has his/her own crib.
Each needed his/her own space due to the fact that three were on apnea monitors.
Nicholas and Alyssa were recently taken off of the monitors. Emily
is still on her monitor but we are hoping to take her off soon. She
has an appointment at the apnea clinic on Thursday.
All four go for RSV shots on Tuesday.
RSV is a respiratory virus that premature babies are at high risk of getting
during the first two years of life. It behaves like a cold in adults
but often hospitalizes babies and sometimes kills them. It will be the
first time we've had them out together and the first time we will be using
the Runabout stroller. That should be some trip. They just got
over colds. That was not fun. The babies are not quarantined but
we have to be careful how they are handled. We have rules for people
who come to our house to feed them:
- Wash hands thoroughly
before touching a baby
- Wash hands thoroughly
after changing a diaper
- Stay away from babies
while sick
- Avoid kissing the
babies to help prevent RSV
- Pat gently when
burping
The babies range from about 10 pounds
to about 15 pounds. Christopher and Alyssa are rolling over from their
tummy to their back. Emily and Alyssa are very nosy. Emily yodels
and Alyssa likes to chat. The girls would rather socialize and watch
everybody than eat. Christopher, the big guy, typically closes his
eyes while he eats. Nicholas is probably the most squirmy while eating.
They have all gone bald. Their hair is growing back, now.
First Halloween for Christopher
the frog, Alyssa the rabbit, Emily the ladybug,
and Nicholas the duck. Trick or
treat!
Five months, twenty six days old
During the day when Pam is home with
the babies she focuses on the important things -- baby naps, play time, changing
diapers, clipping nails, baths, preparing food, etc. She doesn't get
much time to do anything else. The babies are pretty well behaved but
they are demanding more attention now that they stay awake longer during
the day. Christopher is trying to sit up. They all roll from
their tummies to their backs. Alyssa and Nicholas have also rolled
from their backs to their tummies. Everybody likes to chat, especially
in the morning after they wake up.
Last month all four babies went to
the pediatrician for RSV shots. They get these shots once a month from
October through April during RSV season here in the northeast US. It
was the first time we had them out together since we brought them home from
the hospital. At this point, they have gone through two rounds of colds.
That was not fun.
The babies currently range from about
11.9lb to about 15.8lb. We started solid food a month ago. They
are inconsistent eaters and they spit up a lot. This is what we currently
feed each of them:
Solid Food
Formula
9:00am
1 tablespoon rice cereal mixed
with 1/8 jar stage 1 fruit
160cc (boys)
130cc (girls)
1:00pm
1/2 jars stage 1 baby food
200cc (boys)
150cc (girls)
5:00pm
1/2 jars stage 1 baby food
200cc (boys)
150cc (girls)
9:00pm
1 tablespoon rice cereal mixed
with 1/8 jar stage 1 fruit
160cc (boys)
130cc (girls)
Six months, two days old
Today, at exactly six months, was
the baptism of Christopher, Alyssa, Emily, and Nicholas. We invited
family and volunteers to attend the ceremony and to attend the subsequent
reception at a nearby Chinese buffet restaurant. There were about sixty
people who came to the restaurant, plus us. It turned out pretty well
considering that the babies were totally out of our control for a few hours
as people wanted to hold them.
December
2000 -- Christmas Letter (Seven months old)
Hello everybody, we hope that this
year has been a good one for you and your family. For us, it has been
quite a challenge. Around this time last year we announced that Pam
was pregnant with quadruplets. In February we moved to Phoenix, Arizona
for over four months to be under the care of the doctors at Phoenix Perinatal
Associates and the most experienced medical team in the world for high risk
multiple pregnancies. Pam battled preterm labor throughout the pregnancy
and it became a bit bumpy at the end due to high blood pressure and elevated
liver enzyme levels. Pam had medical complications that resulted from
the delivery.
The babies were born at Good Samaritan
Regional Medical Center at 32 weeks 5 days. Christopher
Lee, Alyssa Lee, Emily Lee, and Nicholas Lee overcame many challenges in the
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Continuing Care Nursery (CCN) of
Phoenix Children's Hospital. All babies were initially on machines to
assist with breathing and were connected to a lot of wires and tubes.
Alyssa, Emily, and Nicholas had jaundice and received phototherapy.
Christopher, Emily, and Nicholas needed blood transfusions. All babies
had reflux and experienced heart and respiration drops… and the list goes
on. At one point, Pam, Christopher, Alyssa, Emily, and Nicholas were
simultaneously in intensive care units. After delivery, the babies remained
in the hospital from between two to six weeks until they became physically
stable and learned to suck, swallow, and breathe in coordination. We
flew home to Pennsylvania with the babies at the end of June.
After three weeks at home, our church
mobilized a group of volunteers to help feed babies. Family, friends,
and volunteers have supplied us with meals, baby gifts, and much needed help.
We eventually evolved from a feeding schedule of 9a-1p-5p-9p-1a-5a to 9a-1p-5p-9p.
They are eating solid foods -- what a mess! All babies had lost their hair
that is now finally growing back. Alyssa, Emily, and Nicholas remained
on home apnea monitors until about five months of age. They all like
to giggle, laugh, coo, and "talk". They enjoy interacting with each
other and spending time on their swings, bouncer seat, gym, and ladybug activity
center. They roll over a lot. Their cribs share the same room
and they generally sleep through the night from about 10:30pm to 7:00am.
Big teddy bear, Christopher, was born
at 5:05pm at 4lb 12oz and is now 16lb 8oz. Christopher currently has
the most hair and was second to cut teeth. He produces about a gallon
of slobber a day. He goes crazy over the baby gym, kicks like he's
on fast forward. Christopher is not a big fan of plain oatmeal and
wears his solid foods very well. A couch potato, he looks like he is
sleeping whenever he has his bottle in his mouth. Often called "The
Big Guy", he is our anchor for the quad stroller.
Bright eyed, rosy cheeked, Alyssa,
was born at 5:06pm at 3lb 11oz and is now 12lb 7oz. She's a fitness
buff and always does tummy crunches by lifting her head and feet at the same
time. Alyssa is often found on her back moving her feet like she's
pedaling a bicycle. We don't know where she thinks she is going.
At this age she already has a big interest in fancy clothes and jewelry.
Uh oh, we're in trouble.
Giggly Emily was born at 5:06pm at
3lb 2oz and is now 12lb 5oz. Little princess often beckons with her
demanding cry. She is a very tidy eater but spits up a lot of formula.
She sings, yodels, and blows raspberries whenever she can and has learned
to use a fake cough to get attention. What an actress!
Smiley Nicholas was born at 5:08pm
at 3lb 3.6oz and is now 15lb 1oz. Nicholas was the first to cut teeth.
He started out thin and wiry but has filled out nicely and now looks like
the Gerber baby. He is our biggest eater. He really enjoys socializing
with his brother and sisters (and also the lamp shade).
As difficult as it was, we have lots
to be thankful for this year. Happy, healthy babies are number one.
We have met a lot of very good, caring people along the way who have made
a big difference in our lives. We owe them much thanks and think of them often.
As we celebrate this holiday season, our family would like to wish you all
the best during the holidays and the new year. God bless.
Christopher, Alyssa, Emily,
and Nicholas.
Christmas day 2000
Seven months old
Christmas eve was our first outing
as a family when we went to Pam's parents house in New Jersey, about an hour
and ten minutes away. Lee packed and unpacked the van and then packed
and unpacked it again. It was filled: two swings, pack-and-play bassinet/playpen,
baby gym, ladybug activity center, rattles, 58 pampers, wipes, oatmeal, formula,
distilled water, spoons, bowls, extra sleepers, bibs, 12 bottles, wash cloths,
35mm camera, video camera, Christmas presents, carseats, snowsuits, babies...
and the list goes on... and on. Whew, we're lucky we don't do this
every day.
So far, the babies have been very
healthy except for two rounds of colds that occurred before the baptism incident.
Last week Pam had strep throat and Lee stayed home to care for the babies
while she stayed away from them. This week, Pam seems to have a cold
and wears a mask when handling the babies.
The volunteers still show up M-F for
all feedings. They have been doing that since late July. Once
in a while we get a time slot where nobody comes. The babies have gotten
little attitudes. Sometimes they are not interested in eating and it
may take an hour to feed a single baby. If it's just us, we will put
the difficult baby on the baby gym while we feed the others. The difficult
baby gets a bit easier to feed later after some exercise. If things
go very well when we are on our own, we can have four babies diapered and
fed within an hour.
Volunteers still occasionally provide
meals and have given many baby gifts. A couple of weeks ago, volunteers
babysat (for the first time) two nights while we went to Lee's sister's wedding
rehearsal and wedding. Many volunteers have become quite attached.
Hopefully, the babies will start eating on their own before the volunteers
fade away. If we didn't have enough volunteer help we would have to
hire somebody. We don't know how some people can do it alone.
Emily, Alyssa, Nicholas, and
Christopher bright eyed and bushy tailed ready for breakfast.
Mommy and Daddy with Christopher,
Alyssa, Emily, and Nicholas. Everybody's having a bad hair day.
Ship ahoy, matey!
Eight months, eight days old
They will soon be nine months old.
It's hard to believe. To date, we have been through three rounds of
colds with the little ones. When one gets it, they all get it.
Excluding colds and the problem that Nicholas has had with eczema they have
been very healthy. Nicholas' eczema problem has been a difficult one
to deal with. He acquired itchy, rashy skin pretty much from head to
toe. The poor little guy was itching out of his mind to the point,
we speculate, where it affected his appetite. We tried using Dreft
laundry detergent and stopped introducing new foods. We tried baths
every day. We tried greasing him up with vaseline, then Eucerin and
2% hydrocortisone. The vaseline seemed to work best for a while but
failed in the end. Our pediatrician prescribed a compound of HC 1%
Acid Mantle and Eucerin which seemed to work the best. Nicholas' skin
has finally cleared up!
Volunteers are still coming for the
9am-1pm-5pm-9pm feedings, M-F and evening feedings Sa-Su. Typically,
we dispense solid food before the bottle. We have been using car seats
on the dining room table to feed the babies their "solid" food. They
have each gone through stages where they have not wanted to eat either the
solid food, the bottle, or both. The bottle is most important since
it provides the much needed nutrition and calories that they need so we reversed
Alyssa and Emily by giving them the bottle first.
Everybody can sit up with some help
but they haven't quite learned how to balance for long periods of time.
Christopher is still largest but Nicholas is catching up. Christopher,
however, is ahead on the tooth count with six (two bottom and four top).
He slobbers so much we have to change his bib a few times a day.
We have hard wood floors throughout
the house so the babies probably have not had as much floor time as other
babies their age. Alyssa, more than the others, seems to be on the verge
of becoming mobile. She gets up on her hands and knees but doesn't
yet know how to coordinate her movements to crawl but is learning how to
pull herself up onto things. She is very fidgety and always moving.
Alyssa has two bottom teeth and still has little hair.
Emily has a full crop of hair that
stands straight up. People say that her hair fits her personality --
wild. At this point, she has no teeth.
Nicholas has consistently been eating
more than the others. Mr. High Maintenance has learned to use his teeth
to scratch his hands and wrists. To eliminate that problem, we put
daddy's crew socks on his hands. They go up to his shoulders (he looks
like a lobster) so he doesn't pull them off. His wounds have since
healed. Nicholas has two bottom teeth and hair that stands straight
up into the air (like emily's, but thinner).
Oh, by the way, Pam can finally bend
over to pick things up from the floor -- it took about eight months.
Eight months, twenty seven days old
Today, Alyssa figured out how to coordinate
arm and leg movements in order to crawl. She's our first mobile baby.
Uh oh.
Ten months, twenty six days old
Our spring photo shoot yielded the
first picture containing four smiles -- a major milestone! The photo
shoot only took about 100 shots. It is one to be cherished forever.
Baby overboard! Emily slipped out of the basket and hit the deck.
OUCH!!!!
